Just My Luck
by PunkRockHolly
Summary: Ichigo and Rukia were childhood friends, but they have grown apart. A story about high school, relationships, family, and growing up. Lots of pairings, probably OOCness, and entertainment. T for swearing I guess.
1. The Game

**A/N:** So...first multichap story. That I've published. I'm excited!

1. I don't own Bleach.

2. Reviews make me happy! Flames keep me warm! Do either you like!

3. So sorry for any confusion...questions will be answered at the end of this.

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Chapter 1: The Game

I could barely hear anything except the screaming of the crowd. I didn't know fans could be so loud. Glancing at the stadium seats, I shrugged a little. I supposed that when what looked like the whole student body of both schools turned out, we were tied 1-1 with maybe 3 minutes left in the game, it wasn't actually surprising. And we were stopped right now, for the collision between one of our defenders, Hiyori, and a little forward from the other team. I watched from the opposite side of the field, hands on my knees, as both girls sat up slowly, looking slightly dazed. The referee watched, frowning slightly, and said something. Both shook their head, and smiled at him and then each other. They nodded, and then our defender, Hiyori, offered the girl a hand. Both stood up with each others help, and the referee called a drop ball.

The crowd cheered even louder, and I realized that they had actually been at a lull in the constant sound. It still startled me a little; after 3 years of high school soccer, 2 of those being varsity, I'd have thought I'd be used to it. But we'd never made it to nationals.

I smiled grimly when I remembered that. Nationals. National Soccer Champions Karakura High. The title was so appealing. I didn't know how we'd made it so far, but I wasn't complaining. We were good, but...wow.

I focused myself back on the game as the referee held the ball between Hiyori and the forward. I held my breath a little. Hiyori was vicious and determined, but that forward was fast. And they were awfully close to our goal. But I could tell from the look in here eye that Hiyori wasn't about to lose, even if the forward kicked the ball before her. I forced the tension out of my stomach and focused.

Almost in slow motion the referee blew his whistle and then dropped the ball, jumping backwards quickly. Both players swung at the ball, Hiyori with her left foot, to my surprise. It was the smart thing to do, though, rather than kick it toward our goal and help them. The ball seemed to freeze, caught between their feet, and then it popped up and out, over the forward's head. Hiyori practically shoved the girl over to get to the ball, and then she shot up the sideline with it. Everyone shifted, following the direction of the ball.

"One on!" I screamed at the top of my voice, not the only one to notice the outside midfielder stepping to challenge her. Hiyori kept going, but looked up, and at the last second she poked the ball past their midfielder to our forward, calling "Aki!"

Aki dashed to receive the pass and continued the run Hiyori had been making. We had reached the fifty now, and Aki chipped the ball to the forwards. They turned and started to sprint towards it. I too stretched my legs as far as I could, breezing past their outside defender, and marveling, a little meanly, and how slow she was. I was _short_. I refocused on the game, seeing that Karin had gotten the ball and was being chased down the side. She was getting too close to the goal and the sideline to make a good shot, and their goalie was easily closing down her angle.

"Karin!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Cross!"

Karin looked up, saw me, and in her next stepped, chipped the ball. It was a beautiful cross. The ball arced smoothly toward the center of the field, and their keeper followed it, jumping for it. I sped up even more, going faster than I knew I could. I didn't hear anything now, and I saw only the ball, the goal, and the goal keeper as I took a running jump, my eyes open until the last second. I remained focused on the ball, knowing the chances of getting this goal were slim, but determined to make the best of them.

My eyes snapped closed at the last second, and the ball thumped into my forehead solidly. I winced slightly; Karin kicked really hard. Still, I was barely aware of the slight stinging in my head as I opened my eyes and watched the ball, it's direction abruptly changed by my forehead, fly past the keepers gloves and into the net.

I was a little shocked, both by the goal and the sudden return of sound. Everyone had gone crazier, and I was once again aware of it. And the odds of that going in had been so--

_Wham!_

Something hard and then soft hit my forehead head. I gasped as pain exploded behind my eyes, realizing the goalie and I had managed to smash heads on our way down to the ground. We continued falling, though I was momentarily blinded by the pain. Suddenly, we hit the ground hard, and I cried out as I was stunningly aware of pain shooting through my lower leg, accompanied by a cracking.

And then there was more pain in my head, and then everything went abruptly black and silent.

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**A/N: ** Short, I know. Apologies!! And I know, the whole thing was about a soccer game. Some of you are probably going "What the fuck." I'm sorry, but it's mostly an intro. To clear some things up...

1. This chap was from Rukia's PoV.

2. I put her on the soccer team because even though this is an AU, she's just too badass to not play sports. I figure she also does track, but more on that later.

3. I'm sorry about the cliffie. I know, they're (I'm) evil, right? It was just the best place to stop, or it would have been a massive chap. The next one will be longer!

4. About that next chapter...I don't know exactly when it'll be out. :D Probably in a week, but NO GUARANTEES! I'm really sorry, but my schedule is crazy, usually.

5. I'm sorry for the double post, I posted and then realized I hadn't answered any of the glaringly obvious questions people would have.

6. PUSH THE PRETTY BUTTON BELOW. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.


	2. Bizarre

**A/N:** A new chap, earlier than expected, but only because it's short. I'm sorry! It was just easier to write a short one and publish it earlier than expected than write it longer. I'll probably have a new one, longer I swear, up by Sunday. No promises, because school is starting to get crazy, but I'll try.

Nice reviews make me smile, flames make fire and fire is cool. So give either you like!

I don't own Bleach! Duh!

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_Chapter 2: Bizarre_

I was floating for a while in comfortable inky blackness, but then people appeared around me. It was all of my friends from school, all smiling and laughing. Looking around, I realized we were at a party at...my house? The odds of Byakuya allowing me to invite this many people over were...well, nonexistent, so I was vaguely confused for a moment. Then dream-me shrugged it off and went to find my friends.

I found Rangiku and Momo, my best friends, sitting with two other people in the corner. They called me over and I sat down on a soft, squishy bean-bag that faced the room. Gin Ichimaru, Rangiku's boyfriend, was seated next to Rangiku, with his arm around her shoulders. She leaned on him gently, her head on his shoulder. Kira Izuru was seated in a large chair next to me, smiling quietly. Momo was in a chair on my other side, between the couch and me.

"This is fun!" Rangiku said enthusiastically. "I told you having this party would be fun. And convincing your brother wasn't too hard..."

"Easy for you to say," I laughed. "You barely helped!" Rangiku stuck her tongue out at me, but all of us just laughed.

This dream was bizarre. Even with, or perhaps because of, Rangiku's help, Byakuya would never allow a party this big. In the dream, it seemed normal. But the part of my brain that was functioning outside of the dream was really wondering what the hell was going on.

A flash of something caught my eye, and I looked up. There it was again, through the people, a flash of orange. I only knew two people with hair like that...

A scowl, but oddly warm, friendly brown eyes. The scowl shifted to a smile, and an eye winked.

My vision swam as I frowned.

Why was Ichigo here? I had hardly spoken to him since elementary school, and the few words we'd spoken since the beginning of high school were hostile, to put it nicely. He was more of an asshole that I remembered him being when we were little, and I didn't like him. I wouldn't invite him to a party.

My vision was blurring more.

"Rukia-chan?" Momo's voice called me back to the conversation I was supposed to be having. I looked back at my friends, and then my vision went completely fuzzy, then snapped back.

"Rukia..."

Things were starting to fade, colors blending together like a colored picture that had been thrown in the rain. I blinked, trying to clear away the swirling colors, but to no use.

"Rukia..."

The volume was becoming muffled as well, like I was hearing the voice through a long tunnel.

"Rukia..."

Things were black again, and I was floating once more...

"Rukia!"

My eyes opened and I was jolted back to reality, a bright light shining in my eyes. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut again, whimpering involuntarily at the pain in my head. It was everywhere - my temples, behind my eyes, the base of my skull. The light certainly hadn't helped.

"Rukia, hon, I need you to open your eyes," a woman's voice said gently. I shook my head and moaned a little, my eyes remaining shut.

"Alright...Does your head hurt?" I nodded, wincing. "All over?" Nod. "Concussion headache," the woman said, but it wasn't directed at me. I heard someone else 'mhm' quietly. "What about your leg?" I paused. My leg...didn't hurt. I couldn't feel my right leg at all actually.

Well, that was odd.

I shook my head, frowning, and my eyes opened slowly. The light was gone, but it was still almost unbearably bright.

"I can't feel it," I mumbled, squinting.

The woman nodded. "Okay. Can you tell me your full name?"

"Kuchiki Rukia..." I closed my eyes, feeling tired.

"Don't go to sleep yet." She shook my shoulder gently, and I groaned opening my eyes reluctantly. "Where do you live?"

"Karakura, Japan," I said.

_What a stupid question,_ I thought dimly. _We're the _Karakura High _Girls Soccer team. It says that on my jersey._ The woman's questions seemed stupid, but a more rational part of me knew there was a reason for asking. Still, everything seemed so unreal, so strange, so dream-like.

_This can't be a dream...I was just dreaming._

_Wait..._

This didn't make sense anymore. I was confused, and tired, and my head was pounding in rhythm with my pulse. The lights hurt my eyes, I couldn't feel my leg, this woman kept asking weird questions, and...I was so tired.

"...I was playing soccer..." I mumbled at her. "I always take a nap after soccer...can I go to sleep now?" It seemed like a logical procession of thought to me.

The woman sighed. "I think that will be okay for now."

I shut my eyes and was drifted into sleep almost immediately.

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**A/N:** First (kinda crappy) Ichigo appearance! It's liable to be the only one for a while. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, yeah, that part with Ichi was...I don't know, but I don't like how it turned out. What did you think?? Again, I'm sorry for the shortness...and the cliffie! Haha, I'm so mean. At least you know she's not dead or anything, right? Not that it would matter in Bleach world. Don't worry, things will be explained in the next (longer) chapter.

PRESS THE PRETTY BUTTON BELOW YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.


	3. Awake & Confused

**A/N:** Oh my god, I got the new chapter out when I said I would! I seriously didn't expect that, I've had such a crazy week...Well, here you go, though! It's really long too, that should make up for the crappy shortness of the last two chapters. Sorry 'bout that. Although, I am skeptical of the quality of this chapter. I don't know, I'm just not as satisfied as I could be. It didn't come out entirely like I wanted it to...But I don't want to try to rewrite it, that would take way too long. So, I'll let you decide on it's quality! I hope you like it!

Nice reviews make me smile, flames make fire and fire is cool. So give either you like!

Oh, hey, guess what everyone! I don't own Bleach!

* * *

_Chapter 3: Awake and Confused_

I started to swim out of the blackness slowly, cautiously. I was comfortable here, but I could feel consciousness dragging at me, pulling me slowly upwards.

I opened my eyes, wincing slightly. The room wasn't horrendously bright, but my head still hurt; less, but I could still feel a dull pounding. I frowned a little and kept my eyes closed, trying to get a feel for the room that way first.

It smelled...clean. Sterile, even. I was laying in a bed, with regular cotton sheets on them. The pillows beneath my head were really soft...that was nice... My mind started to drift again, and I pulled it back.

I couldn't hear anything except a regular, quiet beeping somewhere to my left. It was slightly annoying, but I tuned it out.

Finally, I opened my eyes, unable to figure out where I was. I realized that my right eye wouldn't open all the way, and it felt sore. The room around me was white, clean, and small. I frowned a little and looked toward the beeping sound, and saw a bunch of weird machines and metal tables. Suddenly it came to me that I was in a hospital, and the annoying beeping was the heart monitor I was attached to.

Why the hell was I in a hospital?

I looked around again, and saw my leg in a cast, in a sling over the bed. My eyes widened, in spite of the pain in the right one, and I gasped.

"Hey," a voice came hesitantly from my right, and I turned my head. A girl was sitting in the bed next to mine, also hooked up to a heart monitor. Her right eye was purple and swollen completely shut, and the bruise spread to her cheek, temple, and a bit of her forehead. She looked vaguely familiar...

"Hi." I recognized her face, young and sweet, with giant hazel eyes. Well, the one that was open. Her hair was teal, and I thought it would be hard to forget her.

"Are you okay?" She looked honestly concerned for me. There was so much worry on her adorable, young face, really, that I wanted to comfort her immediately.

"I'm fine," I said quickly, nodding. The pain in my head intensified, and I winced again. "My head hurts though."

"The doctor told me that was normal," she said. "And that it would be the same for you. They said normal aspirin and stuff would work, probably. I don't know where he put the bottle though..." She trailed off, looking a little distressed, but I didn't know what to say, so I changed the subject.

"Why am I in a hospital? And what happened to you? Come to think of it, why are we in the same room?"

She smiled, a sweet, happy smile. "I can answer all of those...but don't you remember the game?"

I paused. That sounded familiar. "Keep talking."

Her smile lessened slightly. "Soccer game. National high school girls championships. Karakura vs.--"

"Oh!" I cried, everything coming back. "Right! And that's why I recognize you! You're the goalie!"

She nodded enthusiastically, smiling again. "Right! My name's Odelshwank Nelliel Tu...Call me Nel, though."

I smiled. "Kuchiki Rukia. Nice to actually meet you."

"And you."

"So...what exactly happened? I remember the game...until about 20 minutes into the second half." I frowned.

Nel bit her lip. "Well...You scored the winning goal for your team, if that helps."

I shook my head slightly. "Well, as cool as that is, I don't remember it. That sucks." She sighed, looking worried again, and I said hastily, "You don't have to explain everything, just what happened to...us."

She nodded. "Well, see, your forward crossed the ball, and you jumped up to head it, and it went in. Nice goal, by the way. But I jumped up to try to catch it as it went across, and since I was kind of going to the side we collided in the air, and your forehead hit my face and then we fell and...I landed on top of you, and I think your leg got twisted up under you. I don't really know that part, I kind of passed out when your forehead hit my temple."

I stared. So, I'd made the goal, but I'd knocked a girl out, broken my leg and gotten a concussion in the process. Damn. Well wasn't that just my luck…

"Holy shit," I said. Nel giggled a little. "I'm sorry!" I cried, feeling a little bad for the state of her face.

"It's okay! It's not really anyone's fault, accidents happen in soccer. That's part of what makes it fun right? And I couldn't really have explained what you don't remember, by the way, because I also got a concussion. I only remember parts of the game myself..." She sounded embarrassed and a little apologetic.

"Oh." There was silence as I contemplated this.

"Did the doctor say how long you'd be out?" I asked her.

"He just said until the concussion headaches stop...but didn't know when exactly that might be. A couple weeks was his estimate."

"Oh." I nodded, and looked at my leg, and her eye. "Well, I suppose that makes it a good thing it was the end of the season, huh?"

"For both of us," she laughed. "Still...I can't wait till next year!"

She looked so excited, her one good eye gleaming fiercely, I just had to laugh. "Me neither." The fact that half of her face was swollen and bruised, and she wanted to go play made the whole thing even funnier. I supposed I was the same. I had a broken leg, and all I could think was that I would probably miss track season.

"Oh, you're awake!" A young, average looking doctor with brown hair and glasses stepped into the room, smiling. "Why didn't you hit the call button?"

Nel and I looked at each other, and shrugged. "We were talking." I said, looking back at him.

He smiled. "Alright. I'm Dr. Aizen Sosuke, Miss Kuchiki. It's nice to meet you. So, how are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," I said immediately.

"Ah, yes...Where?"

"All over. Not as bad though."

He looked at me quickly. "Not as bad as when?"

I frowned, thinking. "Not as bad as...it did in the ambulance!" I remembered now - my dream, and the woman in the ambulance, and the horrible, pounding headache I'd had. No, this wasn't nearly as bad.

"You remember!" Nel said, sounding happy. I nodded, smiling.

"Well, that's good," Aizen said. "Here." He held out his hand, two little aspirin in his palm. "This should help with the headache." He set a glass of water down on the bedside table, and then handed me the remote to angle the bed. It was simple, but really cool. I grinned as I sat myself up without moving, and heard Nel giggle.

"Isn't that cool??" She asked. I nodded, and then swallowed the aspirin, draining the glass as well.

"Well, I'm glad you're drinking," Aizen said, smiling, and going back to some charts. He set them down after a moment and turned to Nel.

"And you, Miss Odelshwank?"

Nel smiled. "I'm okay now. The water and the aspirin helped."

"Good, good..." He finished looking at some more papers, set them down and turned to us. "Well, there's not a lot else to do. Do you want more water?" We both nodded and he refilled our glasses.

"Oh," He started as he handed them to us. "Visiting hours end in about two hours, but I thought you might want to know...both of your soccer teams are downstairs in our waiting rooms. They wouldn't leave, even when we told them you were okay. They want to see you, but we didn't want them to wake you. It slipped my mind earlier, Miss Odelshwank, I apologize. Anyway, they've been here for about an hour, and won't leave until they see you. I believe there's also some other students there who want to see you." He sounded miffed, but he smiled. "Would you like me to send them up?"

"Yeah!" Both Nel and I exclaimed instantly. The fact that my team had waited around for me to wake up, for an hour, was thrilling. I was a little surprised, but happy none the less. Dr. Aizen nodded, and left the room.

Two minutes later, I heard the sound of girls talking loudly, and then hushing each other.

"Shut up, we're in a hospital!" I heard Karin's voice in a loud whisper. This set off more giggles, but they were quickly stifled. I smiled, watching both teams file in together. A little to my surprise, they weren't separated into teams, and all of them were talking easily.

As soon as they were in, there were cries of "Rukia!" and "Nel!" Nel and I laughed as they rushed over, filling the space around our beds quickly. All of them were smiling talking all at once. I frowned a little, even though I was happy. They were loud.

"Hi, guys," I said. "Can you talk a little quieter? My head hurts?"

"Ladies, please be gentle with them," Dr. Aizen said, entering the room, followed by two nurses carrying trays. Aizen pulled out the little tables that were attached to the beds, and the nurses set down the trays of food in front of Nel and I. I looked around at my team, feeling guilty, even as my stomach growled.

"Eat." Hiyori said. "You need it." All the other girls, on both teams, nodded. I sighed a little and pulled the tray towards me, starting in on the boring hospital food. Nel did the same, but her expression reflected my own feelings.

"Rukiaaaa~!" A voice trilled, and I turned suddenly.

"Rangiku?" I looked up.

A tall, busty, strawberry blonde girl breezed through the door, followed by a shorter, darker haired girl. Rangiku's arms slipped around my waist, hugging me tightly. She kissed my unbruised cheek, babbling about how glad she was that I was okay.

"Besides," Karin said, grinning. "We called out for food."

A moment later, Gin Ichimaru and Kira Izuru walked in, both carrying bulging plastic bags. They were followed shortly by two other men. I didn't know them, but the sight elicited a happy shriek from Nel.

"Pesche! Dondo!" She looked thrilled, and the men walked over to her bedside quickly, setting down their own bags on the way. They both smiled and hugged her gently. Feeling as though I were intruding, I turned back to my friends.

Rangiku Matsumoto and Momo Hinamori were my best friends. They were completely different, and I usually fit somewhere in the middle, but the three of us were pretty much inseparable. Rangiku was tall, with long legs, a very big chest, and personality to match. She was always ready to party, and I was pretty sure the word "stranger" wasn't in her vocabulary.

Momo was, like I said, just the opposite. She was just as beautiful as Rangiku, but in a quieter way. She was always much quieter, not that that was saying much, and much more studious than Matsumoto. Momo wasn't a shy person; on the contrary, she was very forceful and strong, she just wasn't as loud as Rangiku.

Gin Ichimaru was Rangiku's boyfriend. When I first met him he gave me the creeps, big time, but I got over it. It was the fact that he was always smiling that got to me, but eventually even that became okay. Less creepy and more friendly. The fact that Rangiku was absolutely smitten with him helped me get used to him, if only because I'd had to spend so much time with him. I'd realized, though, that he was very sweet with her, and wouldn't ever hurt her.

Kira Izuru was just another friend of ours, but he had a huge crush on Momo. He and Rangiku got a long stunningly, simply because of their love of partying. Everyone except Momo knew he really was interested in her, but he refused to say anything to her, saying that he was "waiting for the right time." None of knew when exactly that would be, but it hadn't come for two and a half years.

Rangiku was handing out sub sandwiches from the bags the boys had brought in. All the girls were grinning happily, and I looked at Karin. She just shrugged and smirked, saying, "Did you really expect us to go hungry? You arrived just in time." She turned to Rangiku, who smiled.

"I'm so glad! Rukia, I got you one too. And one for Nelliel-san if she wants one." Nel looked up, and nodded.

"Anything's better than hospital food!" I nodded enthusiastically, unwrapping my sandwich.

"Oh, Rukia-san, and everyone else...These are my brothers, Dondochakka and Pesche," She indicated the two guys who had come in to see her.

Everyone from my school blinked at the bizarre names but smiled anyway. They both nodded and smiled back.

"Hey!" Hiyori stood up, holding up a DVD. "My dad recorded the game on the TV from his office, cuz he couldn't make it, if anyone wants me to make them a copy. That was an amazing game."

There was a chorus of "I do"'s, and Hiyori smiled. "I'll just make a bunch."

"Hey," I said to her when it was a little quieter. "You should put that in that TV over there so we can watch it. Nel-san and I don't really remember it."

Everyone gasped, looking surprised. Clearly they hadn't been informed of the full extent of our head trauma. Both of us nodded, quickly telling them we were fine. Things settled down, and Hiyori put the DVD in and sat back down, taking the remote with her. Just before she hit play, the door opened again, and Dr. Aizen entered.

Followed by my brother.

"Nii-sama," I said, blinking. It hadn't occurred to me that he wasn't there until I saw him. My friends/teammates became uncharacteristically quiet, and it quickly caught on with the girls who didn't know Byakuya.

Byakuya wasn't a bad person. He was just...distant, even with me. He brought a commanding, cold air with him wherever he went. It had been like that since our parents had died, almost 10 years ago, and we'd been living on our own. Byakuya had always taken care of me, even if there hadn't been much affection in our home since then. I didn't really blame him for becoming distant - he'd had to raise his little sister, finish high school and college, and get a job. Then he managed to rise quickly to the top of the business he worked for, God only knows how. His brain was his only sanctuary, so the detachment with which he treated people, including myself, didn't surprise me. Still, he was my only family anymore, and although I'd become accustomed to it, his lack of emotion sometimes stung.

"Rukia," he said, walking quickly to the bed. He knelt next to it, in his suit, which surprised me. "You're okay."

It wasn't really a question, but I answered anyway. "Yes, Nii-sama."

He nodded slowly, and then kissed my cheek gently, surprising me. I looked up, and then smiled quickly. I looked at him closer, my brain actually processing that he was in a suit. His work suit. And then I really started to think - why hadn't he come in with my friends? I frowned a little, as a truth I didn't really want to accept dawned on me.

"Were you at work, Nii-sama?" I asked, my voice slipping into a whisper as I tried to keep the hurt from showing in it.

He was silent for a minute, and I looked from our hands on the bed to his face. He nodded slowly, twice. "Yes."

I didn't need to ask my next question to know that, despite the fact that he'd told me he would be there, he had not been at the game.

I nodded, looking at my hand in my lap and holding back the sudden wave of emotion that threatened my composure. _Nii-sama works hard to support you,_ I thought fiercely. _Don't get so emotional. It couldn't be helped._

Byakuya and I had never been very close, I suppose. He was 10 years older than I, and the death of our parents had not actually brought us any closer. The opposite really, probably because I had become more like an adopted daughter than a sister to him. I loved him, yes, and I knew he loved me. But having to take care of me since I was six hadn't been easy on him, even with help from our grandfather, one of our only relatives. I never wanted to trouble Byakuya. He worked so hard for us. I didn't want to make it any harder for him. I had learned to take care of myself, and hiding my emotions around my brother had become natural. A crying, mopey, annoying little sister was the last thing he needed.

_You are Kuchiki Rukia, damn it! This is not the first time you've been disappointed, and it won't be the last. This is not the first time you've held back, hidden, and it won't be the last time you need to, so don't start failing now, damn it. Pull yourself together, Rukia._

"Rukia..." Byakuya started to speak, pulling me away from my internal struggle.

I looked up at him and smiled, but it felt forced.

"It's fine," I said. "I understand." _Damn it, you can do this._ I relaxed, and tried to get my smile to be more natural, my voice to be lighter. "Hiyori's father taped it. She can make us a copy."

Byakuya nodded, but some unfamiliar emotion flashed in his eyes. It was gone in a moment though, and he gave me a small, cool smile. It was a half-assed smile, like mine, but his had always been. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut of by the sound of his cell phone beeping three times in his pocket. I recognized it as a calendar alarm. With the smallest sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, looking at whatever appointment he had.

"Rukia," he started again, but I shook my head quickly, cutting him off.

"It's fine, Nii-sama. I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Yes. The doctor said you would be released sometime in the afternoon. I will come to get you at 3."

The thought of spending my entire day at the hospital, and missing school no less, was not appealing, but, again, it couldn't be helped. I nodded, smiling. "Okay. I'll see you then." He stood, kissed the top of my head quickly, nodded to the rest of the rooms occupants, and left.

Silence draped itself across the room heavily and I turned to see everyone not looking at me, quite pointedly.

"Shall we watch then?" I asked, forcing my voice to be light. "Dr. Aizen said visiting hours are over soon."

Everyone nodded quickly, smiling, some of them looking relieved. Some of the tension drained from the room, but I wondered why all of my interactions with my brother ended with someone being disappointed, and/or everyone in else the room feeling awkward.

* * *

**A/N:** So, what did you think? Good, bad, indifferent? I know, I know, it's slow right? I'm sorry...I'm hoping to get to something interesting, but this just seemed like a better starting place for this story than the original beginning. The original beginning I had planned will come, but not for a while I think. Also, more Bleach characters and funny couples to come! Promise! But...not for a while, again, because the next chapter will still be at the hospital. Yeah. Fail. Sorry.

Oh, but I promise in the next chap will be some IchiRuki angst! Well...Rukia being angsty about Ichigo actually. Remember what was said about him in the dream? That comes up again. :D

C'mon. Make my day. Review. Seriously. Push the button.


	4. Ichigo

**A/N**: HEY YOU! THIS IS ACTUALLY IMPORTANT!

I realized that I was kind of vague on Byakuya & Rukia's situation. Basically their parents died when she was 6 and he was 15. The only other relative they had is their grandpa, but basically they got emancipated and Byakuya just takes care of Rukia. I figure that it's in the parents will for that to be the case until she's 18. Also, they were left a fair amount of money. Will's are a good thing.

And I don't care if that's unlikely because the key to this is...fiction! :D

Also...I think maybe the title of this chapter is misleading. He doesn't actually come in yet (damn it), but there is quite a bit about him. Some more background, at least. I'm sorry! Maybe I'll make the next chapter about him, and have him doing something (...obviously...). I am getting kinda bored with Rukia.

Hey, this is also important: I don't own Bleach! (Haha, it's not really, cuz you already knew that (: )

* * *

_Chapter 4: Ichigo_

"Rukia-san?" Nel's voice floated out of the semi-darkness to my right. I turned my head to look at her, cradling it in my arm to try and avoid putting too much pressure on my eye. It was about 9:30, our team mates had left at 8 when visiting hours had ended and Dr. Aizen had insisted. A reporter from the both of the school's newspapers had come in about 45 minutes before that, wanting to ask Nel and I and our teams a few questions about the game. I think both of them were even more pleased that they could talk to the other team too.

I could just make out the form of Nel in the bed next to mine, lying on her side, in the light that came from the shaded window in the wall behind her.

"Yeah?"

"Can I call you Rukia?" She sounded nervous.

I smiled. "Sure," I said happily. "Can I cal you Nel?"

"Of course!" She sounded pleased.

"We need to stay in touch after this, okay?" I asked. Nel was cool, and I was glad I'd made a new friend.

"Definitely," she said, and I could hear the smile on her face. I grinned to myself and closed my eyes.

"Rukia?" Nel's voice came again, and I opened my eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Who is 'Strawberry?' And Kon?"

I stiffened a little, remembering Gin's slightly mocking voice as he and Rangiku left.

_"Oi, Rukia... The Strawberry came by earlier. He was with Kon. Said he was only here because his 'stupid little brother wanted to make sure his nee-san was okay,' but I saw just a little worry in his regular scowl."_

_I frowned. "So?" I hadn't talked to Mr. Strawberry in forever._

_"I just thought you might want to know."_

I sighed a little. "Strawberry is...was...a friend of mine. His real name is Ichigo Kurosaki. Kon is his little brother."

"Why do you say 'was?'"

"We haven't really had a decent conversation where we didn't insult each other in about 5 years," I said, smiling wryly.

"Oh." There was silence. Then, "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"Because it sucks to lose a friend. And...you sound sad about it."

I was surprised. "I do?"

"Yeah. A little." She was quiet for a minute, then she said. "Did he give you that necklace?"

I blinked. Nel was more observant than I'd first thought.

_That reminded me..."Rangiku, can you hand me my bag?" I asked._

_She nodded and grabbed my soccer bag, setting it on the bed next to my leg. I reached into the side pocket, searched for a minute, and then pulled out a necklace. Rangiku and Momo gave me identical smiles that were a little sad, but understanding. Gin and Karin smirked at me slightly, then looked away. Kira looked at the necklace, then at me, and then he too gave me a sad smile. _

_I almost felt embarrassed, but ignored them as I clasped the thin gold chain around my neck. A small yin-yang hung from it, resting just below my collarbones. Next to the Yin was charm in the shape of a strawberry. On the other side, next to the Yang, a snowflake charm hung by one point. Usually this necklace hid under my shirt, but I took it off for soccer games._

"Yeah," I said quietly, reaching up to touch it. "He did."

"Oh." There was more silence, and I felt a little awkward. No one really knew about the necklace. Rangiku and Momo were the only ones I'd told everything about it to.

"Why haven't you talked to him?" She asked. She didn't sound like she was judging or laughing at me, simply curious.

_"_I don't know," I sighed. "I think it was because I started dating this guy, Renji, and...well, I'm not really sure. Ichigo just stopped talking to me, and he was really angry whenever I tried to talk to him. I've known him since I was, like, four, so I could tell he was mad, even when he denied it or was passive aggressive about the whole thing. I just didn't really know why." My voice was hard. Talking about this was weird.

"I'm sorry," Nel said again, after a pause.

"Why??"

"I shouldn't have said anything. This sounds like a...tender subject. I'm sorry..." She sounded nervous again, and completely apologetic.

I sighed, realizing I had snapped at her. "It's not your fault. I guess it is kind of a touchy subject, though I'd thought I was over it by now. I just...I don't know. Sorry I snapped at you."

"It's okay. Emotions are normal. But why did Ichimaru-san get that weird look on his face when he mentioned Ichigo to you?"

"I think his face just looks like that," I said. There was a pause, and then both of us started to giggle. "I don't know," I said through my laughter. "I think he's still convinced Ichigo and I are in love with each other, for some reason. I don't know, Gin's weird. Just ignore him and anything he says, that's what Rangiku and I do."

Nel laughed. "But aren't he and Matsumoto-chan dating?"

"Yeah. What's your point?" Both of us giggled again, and I rolled back onto my back.

After another silence, Nel spoke again. "Wait, he got mad and stopped talking to you when you were dating a guy?"

"Yeah..."

"Oh." Pause. "Y'know Rukia... I think when a guy gets mad at you for going out with someone else, it usually means he likes you."

I blinked, then sighed. "Please, Ichigo wouldn't like me like that. He's almost like a brother to me."

There was more silence, and I heard Nel roll over. "Well, alright. Good night, Rukia."

"Night, Nel." I stared at the dark ceiling, trying not to think about Byakuya, or Ichigo, or Nel's words. It was difficult, but finally sleep claimed me.

* * *

_"Rukia, your friend is here." I looked up from my book and grinned at Byakuya, jumping off my bed excitedly._

_"Kay!" I ran past him and down the stairs to the entryway. Ichigo was standing there with his mother. _

_"Rukia!" He grinned when he saw me, and I ran to hug him. He pulled me close to him, bigger than me even at age 5._

I didn't want this dream. It was painful. I was watching, being pulled along behind the 5-year-old version of myself, but I didn't want to. I knew what came next.

_"Masaki!" My mother's familiar voice came from behind me. She smiled at Ichigo's mother, and they started talking. Ichigo and I slipped off quickly, calling out that we were going outside._

I lingered as long as I could before the dream changed, staring at my mother's face. She was so beautiful. Everything she did was amazing, her smile, her laugh, the way she pushed her hair out of her face. I missed her so much.

_"C'mon, Ichigo!" I called, starting to climb a tree in the park. Ichigo frowned. "Don't be scared!" I called, teasing just a little. His frown deepened at that, and he started to climb up behind me determinedly. I laughed as we climbed as high as we could, stopping on a branch that was thick enough to support both of us. _

_"I love this tree..." I said quietly as Ichigo slid onto the branch next to me, his hand coming to rest on top of mine. He nodded, but said nothing, curling his fingers around my hand. With a small sigh, I leaned my head on his shoulder, looking beyond the park and across the city. It seemed as though we could see the whole world from our favorite perch in one of the tallest trees in the park._

_"Mom would be angry if she knew we climbed up here," Ichigo said, leaning his head on mine. He said that every time, but we still did it. I just nodded. "I know."_

_We sat in silence for a long time, but eventually I started to fidget. "Let's go down," I said. "We can pass my ball, kay?" I looked down past my knees, peering the dizzying distance down to the ground. I loved the rush of fear and excitement I got from looking down to the roots of the tree, where I could just make out my soccer ball, nestled safely in the roots where I left it._

_He nodded, of course, and started to climb down. Ichigo did almost everything I wanted. We were completely inseparable. He was my best friend, and I loved him._

_"Hey, Rukia," he said, once we got to the bottom of the tree._

_"Yeah?" I asked, dusting my shorts off._

_"I got you something," he sounded excited. I looked up as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace, holding it out to me. "Mom helped...but I thought of the charms." He grinned proudly, and I could only stare at the little charms glinting in the light. My 5-year-old self was shocked and thrilled to receive such a gift. I smiled hugely and took it, gently lowering it into my palm._

_"It's so pretty," I breathed. "Thank you." I smiled at him, then flung my arms around his neck, closing my fist tightly around the necklace. _

_"You're welcome." He said, wrapping his arms around me tightly again._

_I stepped back and started to put the necklace on, and then things warped and changed. I was standing in front of the mirror in my room, in the exact same position, clasping the necklace on. I sighed, lowering my arms, touching the charm lightly once before inspecting my outfit. It was the first day of high school, and I felt nervous, but annoyed with myself for it. I told myself it was normal, but still..._

_"Rukia, Matsumoto-san and Hinamori-san are here." I looked away from my reflection to Byakuya standing in the doorway, playing with his tie. I went over, tied it for him, and smiled._

_"Okay. How do I look?" I stepped back, smiling, and held my arms out. He blinked once, then nodded, giving me his cool, half-ass smile._

_"Fine. Interesting."_

_I laughed, looking down at my short black dress over black and white tights and black boots. "That works." I said, grinning. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear with half gloved hand and nodded at him. I had redone my wardrobe over the last year, deciding I wanted a less preppy, more fun style. "I'll see you after school. Have a good day at work."_

_I started to walk down the hallway in my house and then I was walking down the hall at school, looking for my homeroom with Rangiku and Momo. We walked in with 5 minutes to spare before the first bell, looking around. The desks had no names on them, but someone had scribbled on the board, "Sit alphabetically by last name." There was no teacher in the room, but our classmates were all already starting to file in. We all stood at the front of the classroom for a while, looking at the empty seats._

_Finally, I stepped forward, glancing at the clock. 3 minutes._

_"Alright..." I said. "A can be here, Z can be back there."_

_"Good idea, Rukia!" Matsumoto chirped, instantly taking my side. A boy with red hair pulled into a spiky ponytail stepped forward too, looking down at me. We looked at each other for a moment, and then he shoved my shoulder lightly._

_"Hi Rukia," He said, grinning._

_I smiled back."Hi, Renji." I shoved my ex-boyfriend back, in the direction of the seat he would probably take, due to his last name, Abarai. I was eternally glad that things had been okay between us when we broke up, but sometimes I still thought he had a crush on me. He started to walk over to the seat, when someone said, "Who made you the boss?"_

_I looked up, surprised. I knew that voice, but it didn't sound jokingly annoyed. Sure enough, Ichigo shoved his way to the front of the little crowd, glaring at me. I was surprised to see him looking so angry, unsure what I had done._

_"No one," I said. "But I figured we needed to find seats before the teacher got here. If you want to be the only one standing," I indicated the other students, who were slowly sorting out seats and giving us strange looks, "When they get here, be my guest. I just figured this would be better."_

_He glared at me for a second, then said, "Whatever," and stalked off. Given that I sat right next to him, the effect was entirely ruined, but I was still left to wonder why he looked so angry.

* * *

_

"How did you sleep?" Dr. Aizen asked.

"Fine!" Nel answered, sounding chipper.

I frowned slightly, my dream/memories fresh in my mind. "Okay," I mumbled.

Both of them looked at me strangely, so I cleared my mind and smiled. "I just had some weird dreams is all."

Aizen nodded. "That happens. Well..." He started to talk about what we were going to do today, which wasn't much. A few tests to make sure Nel and I hadn't suffered any brain damage, a few more scans on my leg, getting my crutches sized right. It was going to be a long, boring day. At least I'd have Nel to talk to.

_Rangiku_

"Momo!" I yelled, pushing my way through the crowd of students in the hall to Momo's locker. She barely looked up as she greeted me.

"Hi, Ran. How are you?"

"Good! You?"

"Fine. Have you talked to Rukia since yesterday?"

"No..." I sighed, wishing I could answer differently. She would be annoyed at missing school, although we had promised to bring her homework to her in the afternoon. "What do you think she's doing right now?"

"I don't know," Momo said thoughtfully, closing her locker. "Probably just resting."

"Yeah..." I wondered if she was thinking about us. Or school in general.

Or perhaps she was thinking about Ichigo, as I knew she did sometimes. She would deny it eternally, but I knew the look she got on her face whenever she was thinking about the past. And much of Rukia's past included Ichigo.

"I'm going to text her!" I said, thinking that if she was thinking about Ichigo, I could distract her. As we walked onto the field, I pulled out my phone and opened a new message.

**Rukiaaaa~! what are you doing?**

I sent the message and closed the phone, then wondered if she had her phone. Or if it was still charged.

Apparently so, because two minutes later, my phone buzzed. "Yay!" I pulled it out of my pocket and opened the message.

**Nothing. i'm so BOOOORED! argh. there's nothing to do, me n Nel r so freakin bored. god.**

"Aww, poor Rukia..." I pouted, and Momo nodded her agreement.

"Rukia?" Gin sat down next to me, looking over my shoulder at the text. "Let's call her!"

"That's a great idea!" I said, and hit send.

'Calling...Rukia.' Flashed on the screen, and I put it on speaker as soon as it started ringing.

She picked up after only two rings.

"Hi!" She sounded thrilled.

"Hi Rukia!" I said. I held the phone out to face the group. "Everyone say hi to Rukia!"

Everyone sitting with us chorused back, uneven and loud, "Hi, Rukia!!"

She chuckled. "Hey everyone. Who's there?"

"Me, Momo, Gin, Kira, Renji, Hisagi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Nemu and Ururu!" I smiled, pleased with my recount of all of the people she was speaking to.

"Oh. Wow." She laughed again. "Hey guys. What are you doing?"

"Eating lunch and watching Renji yell at Yumi and Ikkaku to get a room."

She laughed harder. "So, the usual for lunchtime?"

"Yep."

"What are you doing, Rukia?" Momo asked, leaning on my shoulder.

"Well, Nel and I were talking, and then they took her to get some tests to make sure she doesn't have some kind of brain damage, and I'm waiting for the doctor to show up with my crutches. I'm really bored. And I feel really gross, cuz I haven't showered since...Thursday morning. It's gross."

"You should probably talk to the doctor about how that works out with your cast," Momo said. "Aren't you supposed to not get it wet?"

"See," I said. "Momo's so smart. She always knows this stuff." I grinned as Momo rolled her eyes.

"Good idea. I will. Oh, he's here, I gotta go guys. I'll see you after school!"

"Aww..." I pouted.

Momo just smiled. "Yes. We'll have all the stuff you missed."

"Kaay~! Bye!"

"Everyone say bye to Ruki!" I yelled, holding up my phone again.

There were shouts of "Bye Rukia!" and "I love you!" and I heard her laugh again.

"Bye, guys! I love you!" She hung up. I closed my phone and pocketed it again.

"I couldn't help but notice how you failed to mention that she's pretty much our school's heroine," Gin said casually, smirking at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "I forgot," I pouted.

"Sure..." He said, chuckling, and leaned forward to kiss me.

"I want to surprise her."

* * *

A/N: Aw, crap, what is Rangiku planning? Haha, yoooou'll have to wait and see. Probly for a while. I don't know how long, but I'm having issues writing the next chapter. So, you may even have to wait, like, two weeks because if I can't finish the next chap, you'll be getting something about Ichigo. Who's complaining though? He's awesome. This may or may not be decided by what REVIEWERS have to say! So...

Review! Press the pretty button!! Give me your ideas/feedback!!!!


	5. Tough

**A/N:** So...this one is from Ichigo's pov. I got bored with Rukia, and was totally stuck on the chapter I was writing that was from her pov. So, this was a nice break from her. Not that I don't love her...

Anyway, this chapter came out...a little depressing. But I actually like it. I didn't, but then I screwed with the ending and it was much better. So, I hope you like it.

OMG GUYS GUESS WHAT!

I don't own Bleach.

* * *

_Chapter 5: Tough_

Going home from the hospital without getting to even see Rukia had not sat well with Kon. He moped in the car the whole way, after complaining loudly and asking why we couldn't stay till she woke up as well.

_Damn it, Karin. _I thought as he sighed loudly for the fourth time. I didn't look at him, just kept driving.

The truth was, I wanted to stay until she woke up, too. Even if I hadn't talked to her, had tried to not even think about her, in years, seeing her hurt still brought out a protectiveness in me that usually came out only for my family. It always had, ever since we were little.

Rukia never cried. She never acted like she was hurting. The only time I'd seen her cry was when her parents died, and at their funeral. But it didn't matter. Rukia was still one of the toughest girls I knew. But then, I didn't really know her anymore...

Still, I remembered seeing her fall once when playing soccer. She got up instantly, looked around for the ball, and started running again, though her knees were bleeding and her palms and elbows were scraped. It was like she didn't even notice she was hurt, until someone made her stop playing so they could clean her up.

But the feeling I'd gotten when she fell, and when I saw the blood, it never went away. Whenever she was hurt, even if she didn't act like it, I only wanted to hold her. I always wanted to grab her tiny form and pull her close to me, protect her from any more harm. She was _my_ Rukia, and I _wouldn't_ let her get hurt.

My 7 year-old mind had not been able to comprehend this very well. But when her parents died, I knew that the only thing I could do for her was to hold her like I wanted to. I knew she was hurting, and somehow, I knew that the protection and love I wanted to give her were the only things that would help, so that's what I'd given her. And it had seemed that was enough, but still I wondered.

I sighed, laying on my back on my bed. I'd just gotten home from a day of school in which I'd barely been able to keep my mind off of Rukia, and I still couldn't. I hated days like that. Sitting next to her never helped, though she had gotten really good at ignoring me. That hurt sometimes, but I'd made it clear to her that that was how I wanted it, even though it wasn't, really.

I growled and rolled onto my stomach. I should do my homework, but I didn't think I'd be able to focus on anything anyway.

"Ichi-nii," Karin knocked on my doorframe and stepped in.

"Yeah?" I grunted, turning my head to look at her.

"Yuzu and Kon and I are going to Rukia's."

"What?" I sat up, even though I didn't really want to look that interested. _Damn it._

"Mm," her expression doesn't change as she looks at me, but I know she's gauging my reactions. _Double damn it._ "We're throwing her a surprise party, because she's amazing."

"When will you be home?" That's a safe, neutral question.

"I don't know, Probably a little late, but I'm sure Kon will get tired or bored eventually, so maybe not. I may bring him home and go back."

"Okay." I don't know what else I can say without sounding like I'm obsessed or something.

We just look at each other for a long time, and then she asks slowly, "Ichi-nii, do you want to come with?"

"What?" That actually startled me, though deep down I'd been hoping she'd ask. "I can't. I...have homework."

"Ichi-nii, it's Friday."

Right. Shit. "I..." I sighed. "Karin she wouldn't want me there." Saying that hurts more than I'd like it to, but I know it's true.

"How do you know?" The question catches me off-guard again, but before I can reply she speaks again. "I think she would actually. I think she'd like it a lot. More than you know, or she'd care to admit. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't say this to you, but...just come, dumbass."

I stared at her. What does that mean? 'More than I know, or she'd care to admit?' I find the words infinitely confusing, and that makes me feel really stupid. They're simple enough, and I know I should understand, but I don't.

I sighed. "Fine, I'll go. It was your idea, though." I stand up, and she grins.

"Score! And now I have a ride."

I blinked, and my eyes narrow. Before I could say anything, she chuckled and ran out. I sighed again and rolled my eyes, going to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of black slim jeans and a red t-shirt with 'SHATTERED' written across the chest in black block letters.

I hated to admit that I was excited as I showered. I hadn't seen Rukia outside of school in...I wasn't even sure how long. God, I missed her. Seeing her would be...

I sighed. Awkward. Seeing her would be awkward. She didn't even like me, no matter what Karin said, and I...I wasn't even sure how I felt about her. This was going to be so incredibly hard.

I'd been such an asshole. It was my fault that she didn't talk to me, or even look at me anymore.

As soon as she'd started dating Renji, I got mad. I was mad whenever I saw either of them, and especially when I saw them together. I wanted to punch his face in, and then drag her away from him…

But why? The violence and kind of frightening urge to hit him and 'protect' her from him had scared and confused me. I didn't understand it for a long time.

She was happy. That was good right? Rukia was so tough; no one would have known that she was almost always hurting inside. But I knew. How could I not? To me it was so glaringly obvious that I almost felt her pain. So the fact that being with him made her happy, and actually brought some peace and realness to her smile was good. I could accept that, right?

I started avoiding them, afraid of what I would do or say around them. I would mess it up, and I didn't want to do that. I couldn't do that to her.

It had taken me a long time to realize that what had always been brotherly or friendly love for her had become…well, not. I loved Rukia with all my heart, and the reason I was so mad that she was dating Renji was because I was jealous.

God, I was pathetic.

I sighed again, reaching over to turn on the water. I was a pathetic idiot. I couldn't blame her for not liking me anymore. I was a complete ass whenever we spoke. Tonight would probably be no different – she'd probably ignore me and I'd sit there being mad at her, but mostly at myself.

* * *

So, what did you think? Poor Ichigo...

Ichigo: What the hell? Why am I so stupid? And pathetic?

Rukia: Yeah no kidding. And why'd you go from my point of view to his? Who cares about him, he's annoying and dumb.

Holly: ....Don't kill me guys, jeez...

Rukia: And what the hell? When is this happening anyway?

Holly: Oh yeah. It's the day after their game! The same day as the last chap from Rangiku's pov. Also...I don't remember what it was like, but I made their game on a Thursday night, so it's Friday when Ichigo and Rangiku are talking. Got it? Good. That becomes important next chapter. Oh, and sorry it's so short. I was definitely having some writer's block, and this...I don't know. I think it cured me, for now, but it's short.

And yes, next chap will actually have Ichi - Ruki interaction! Gasp! :D isn't it exciting!

Don't hit and run! Push the pretty button, damn it!


	6. After Party

_Chapter 6: After Party_

The doorbell rang, and I started to lever myself out of the big chair in the living room. "That's-"

"Sit." Byakuya commanded, frowning at me and standing up. "I'll get it."

"Nii-sama, it's-"

"Matsumoto and Hinamori-san. I know." He walked out to answer the door.

I already hated being gimpy.

At least I'd gotten to shower.

I was especially glad for that when rather than just Rangiku and Momo entering the living room, Renji, Shuhei, Kira, and Gin followed.

"What the hell, you guys?" I asked, laughing. "It's just homework, I didn't need an entire posse to deliver it!"

"That's what _you_ think," Renji said, plopping down on the couch and loosening his tie. Our school didn't have uniforms, but we had a dress code - ties and slacks for the boys, skirts or dresses for the girls. It was a little constricting, but we got free days, and we were able to personalize it at least a little. Shuhei did the same next to him, sighing.

The doorbell rang again, and I frowned a little. "What's going on..." I trailed off as the door opened again, and even more people came in.

"Rukia!" Hiyori, Nemu, Yumichika, and Ikkaku all called out happy greetings as they filed into the living room.

"What the hell, guys?"

"We wanted to throw you a celebratory party!" Rangiku almost screamed, looking thrilled with herself, and as though she were about to explode. "You were so amazing in the game, and now your injured, and you won!"

"The rest of the team is coming, too," Hiyori said, sitting down next to Shuhei. "And some other people."

"W-what?" Their words made sense, but I was still confused. "Seriously?" I looked at my friend's grinning faces, and then at Byakuya, standing in the living room doorway.

Our eyes met, and after a second me smiled. It was the usual, half-assed, unconvincing smile, but it was a surprising occurrence. "I'll be upstairs," he announced to the room at large, still looking at me. "So no funny business."

I blinked. Was my brother making a joke?

"Have fun." With that, he turned and went upstairs, probably to work.

"Hey, Rukia, where's your music? I know you've got that excellent sound system..." Shuhei was wandering around the room through people. He grinned cheekily at me over his shoulder.

"It's...where it's always been, dumbass!" I found my voice, and the surprise caused me to snap at him, blushing a little. All this praise and attention was almost embarrassing.

Simply because I needed something to do, I stood up on one foot, grabbed my crutches, and made my way over to the CD case.

"Rukia..." Momo said quietly, her voice sounding warning.

"What? I'll have to walk on them eventually..." I said, sticking my tongue out at her. She surprised me a little by doing the same back, and then smiling.

Before I could hand the CD's to him, Shuhei reached out and pulled me into a hug. "You were excellent in that game, midget." I heard the smile in his voice, and I mock-glared.

"I'm not a midget," I said, shoving the CDs into his chest, pushing him away from me. He laughed and ruffled my hair, careful to avoid my bruised eye. I swatted his hand away, then turned as the doorbell rang again.

"I got it!" Rangiku yelled, jumping up from her place on Gin's lap.

She returned a moment later with not only the rest of my soccer team, but what felt like the rest of the school, all carrying some kind of food. My eyes widened. It was a good thing our house was fairly big.

"Jesus, guys! What, did you invite the whole school?"

"No," Renji said innocently. "But the girls on your team probably invited a few people."

I stared. Momo cut in, "I wanted to bring Toshiro - he's coming later - Ururu's bringing Jinta, Karin's bringing Yuzu, who's going to cook something by the way, and probably Yachiru."

"..."

"What?"

"...I think my house will explode. Or my brother."

Renji snorted.

"I'm serious! That's a lot of people!"

"What? Byakuya 'ok-ed' it yesterday, we wouldn't just bring a ton of people without asking. It was going to be a surprise party for when you got home, but this was just easier. Your face is still hilarious." Renji chuckled, and ruffled my hair.

"Stop it!" I swatted at his hand, and stared at my slowly filling living room, shocked. This was like that dream I'd had, except not every single person I knew. Just the ones I liked. Well, as long as Byakuya was okay with it...

So was I.

I grinned and hugged Renji quickly before going to sit down in my chair again, getting tired of the crutches.

"Rukia!" I turned to see Karin enter the living room with her sister Yuzu and their friend Yachiru. Ururu and her little brother Jinta followed. I smiled, only vaguely wondering why I hadn't heard them come in.

"Hey!" Yuzu, Yachiru and Ururu rushed over to my chair, kneeling down.

"Are you okay?" Ururu asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm fine!" I said. "It doesn't hurt that much. Okay, it does, but my head hurts more to be honest."

"It doesn't look very good either, Ruki-chan!" Yachiru said, peering at my eye.

I laughed. "Thanks, Yachiru..." Yachiru's father was the PE teacher at the high school, and her mother had died giving birth to her. Being raised by only her crazy father had not put a damper on Yachiru's bubbly, girly personality, but it had made her extremely blunt. She came across as insensitive when you first met her, but when you met her father you realized she just didn't know any better. She was learning though…I think.

Karin walked over and leaned on the back of my chair. "We're glad you're okay, Rukia."

"Thanks," I grinned up at her lopsidedly. She looked back down at me, and then her eyes flickered to the doorway. I blinked and looked over as well, just in time to see Ichigo slink into the room behind Kon.

"Nee-saaaaaaan!" Kon threw himself at me before I could even process that his brother was here too. He jumped onto my lap and buried his face in my stomach, and I was immensely glad he was small for his age. "I'm so happy to see you!" He babbled. "I was afraid you wouldn't be okay and Ichigo wouldn't let me stay in the hospital until you woke up even though Karin and the rest of the girls and your friends got to and he's so MEAN, Nee-san!" His eyes were watering. I glanced at Ichigo to see him still standing in the doorway, looking annoyed and glaring at his brother.

I just felt awkward. Kon was such a crybaby, and although there was probably over 20 people in the room, all eyes were either on Kon and I, or on Ichigo.

And most of the eyes on Ichigo were hostile. Namely those of Renji, Shuhei, Gin, and Ikkaku, who had all stood up to face him. Ikkaku and Renji were openly glaring, Hisagi's face was scarily calm, and Gin looked...well, he looked like himself, though somehow he'd managed to make his creepy smile extremely menacing. Even Kira had stood up, and looked annoyed, rather than morose.

They didn't know everything about my past with Ichigo, but they knew enough about it, and the present, to not like that he was here. They were like really caring brothers, most of the time - sweet, but annoyingly overprotective sometimes.

Ichigo was simply looking back at them all, his face getting redder and redder, looking increasingly angry.

_Oh shit,_ I thought. _If they destroy the living room, Byakuya will really explode._


	7. Unwelcome

**A/N:** HOORAY! is working and letting me format my docs again! :D I'm so happy!

I don't have a lot to say here. Read. Review. Eat the imaginary cake-of-your-choice that I give reviewers. :D

And I don't own Bleach!

* * *

_Chapter 7: Unwelcome_

_Ichigo_

I watched my little brother bitch and hug Rukia tightly, realizing that the feeling in my chest wasn't just annoyance at him for blaming me, but jealousy of the fact that he could get that close to her.

_Fucking hormones._

I looked around the room and realized that everyone was either laughing at my little brother, or glaring at me.

I watched Abarai stand up glaring at me. Hisagi had turned away from the CD player, standing very straight, and was looking at me with scary calmness. Ichimaru scooted his girlfriend, who looked worried, off his lap and stood as well. His smile was still plastered to his face, but it was beyond creepy - it was threatening. Ikkaku had taken his arm from around his boyfriends shoulder's and stood to glare, and even Kira, the emo kid, was frowning at me in annoyance.

Well this was cool. I was basically surrounded by really big guys, all of whom liked Rukia muchmore than they liked me. And they were quite ready to prove it.

The room had gone quiet, I realized, and now all eyes were on me and the other guys. I fought to keep my face neutral, but couldn't stop the scowl. I saw Abarai's hands twitch and curl into fists.

"Hey."

Every eye in the room turned to Rukia, who was nudging Kon off her lap and standing up. She stood there on one foot, looking hard at all six of us guys.

"Don't destroy my living room in some dumb 'who's-penis-is-bigger' contest, okay? I'm pretty sure our insurance doesn't cover damage made by testosterone-filled teenagers, and your health insurance doesn't cover you getting your asses kicked by a girl on crutches. So don't any of you think about starting something. Now where the hell did my crutches go? I'm hungry."

* * *

_Rukia_

"Where the hell did my crutches go? I'm hungry." I looked around, satisfied with the result of my little speech. The six boys looked mollified, and everyone else looked like they were trying not to laugh.

That was good. The tension was making my headache worse.

"Crutches, crutches," Kon was looking around hard, the only one talking, until people started to giggle. I sighed. I was hungry, and I needed an ibuprofen. Or six.

I squeaked loudly as an arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me up. Another arm wrapped under my knees, and Renji pulled me securely into his chest.

"What the-Renji!" I glared up at him and smacked him, hearing his chuckle in his chest.

"Oh chill. Kon was taking too long to find your crutches, so I'm carrying you to the kitchen. Yuzu brought some food, and she's gonna make more."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Well, go to the bathroom first. I need some ibuprofen."

"Okay."

He changed direction and walked down the hall toward the bathroom. We passed Ichigo, still standing near the doorway. He was watching us, me mostly. His face was almost unreadable, the only expression I could decipher being annoyance. Our eyes met for a moment, and then we were past, and I couldn't see him anymore.

With a sigh, I let myself relax into Renji's arms, closing my eyes. _Ibuprofen..._ I thought vaguely. My head hurt. Maybe a party was a bad idea.

I heard someone rooting through the medicine cabinet, though I was still in Renji's arms. I was too lazy to open my eyes, though.

"Rukia," I heard Shuhei's voice softly. I grunted. "How many do you want?"

I thought about it for a moment. The doctor had told me not to take more than three within 6 hours, or I'd become a little dependent on it. "Three," I mumbled. I heard the bottle shaking, and then Shuhei's hand pulled mine out. He dropped the pills into my palm, and I heard the water running in the sink. I only opened my eyes, though, when he handed me the glass of water. I downed the pills and the entire glass, glad for the coolness of the water.

"You good?" Renji asked quietly.

I nodded, letting my head fall against his chest as he carried me back out.

"I love you guys," I mumbled.

"Eh?" Renji stopped walking, causing an indignant "hey" out of Shuhei behind him

"You take care of me," I said, opening my eyes. "And you love me. You're like...big brothers/parents." That was weird to say, because I felt like I was implying that Byakuya didn't take care of me. But I was so tired, and it was sort of true. He didn't take care of me. He raised me, and gave me what I needed but...that was different.

Shuhei ruffled my hair gently. "We love you too, midget." He smiled. I stuck my tongue out at him, but smiled, and then let my head fall back on Renji.

The three of us walked back into the living room, where Renji deposited me in the middle of the couch and sat down on my right.

"Do you want some food?" Shuhei asked. I nodded, and he followed the crowd into the kitchen. I sat there next to Renji, feeling tired and waiting for my head to stop pounding.

Shuhei returned after a few minutes with three plates the food Yuzu had brought/made, and, thankfully, a large glass of water for me. He sat down next to me, making me feel very small next to the two of them. I was warm though, and comfortable, and I had food. So I wasn't complaining.

"We should watch the game," I said through bites.

"We just watched it in the hospital," Renji said.

"I know. But people will be at least slightly quieter watching the game."

Shuhei nodded. "Alright," he said. "Fair enough."

The three of ate in silence as people came back out with food, chattering. When finally everyone was in the room, I nudged Renji with my elbow. He stood and shouted for attention.

"Rukia wants to watch the game again," he called.

"Again?" Hiyori asked. "Jeez, full of it aren't you Rukia?"

"No," Renji said, glaring at her as I stuck my tongue out. "It's just the easier way to make everyone be quiet. She has a concussion, remember?"

Everyone looked at me, and I smiled half-heartedly. "I'm fine. I took some ibuprofen, I'm fine."

We did end up watching the game, sort of. We all watched and talked quietly and it was fun, but the combination of good food, ibuprofen, and being snuggled comfortably between the warmth of Renji and Shuhei was putting me to sleep. I felt a little bad for being so lame at my own party, but then I fell asleep about halfway through the first half.

When I woke, the room was fairly dark and the game was just ending. I watched myself fall to the ground under Nel, my right leg twisted funny. It was surreal and kind of scary watching myself on tv like that, so I let my eyes wander away.

The dishes were gone from the room, probably somewhere in the kitchen. They had probably paused the game to clean up. I wondered vaguely what time it was.

Momo was sitting on Renji's other side, and Kira was sitting against the couch to her side. Rangiku and Gin were curled up in the arm chair together. She was half asleep with a content smile on her face. Kon was leaning on the couch in front of me, his eyes wide and glued to the game. Ururu, Yuzu, Karin, and Yachiru had managed to fit on the love-seat, all being tiny. Everyone else was either sitting or laying on the floor, or had pulled in the chairs from the kitchen. People were talking quietly, or half asleep, or just watching the game.

My eyes found Ichigo, sitting across the room against the wall.

He was looking at me, seeming to be the only one who'd noticed I was awake.

Our eyes met, and then remained there, locked for the second time that night. He wasn't scowling like usual, but nor was he smiling. He was just sitting there, looking at me. His eyes did look a little sad though. And there was some other emotion there that I didn't understand. I was confused, and part of me wanted to look away but I didn't. I wondered how long he'd been looking at me, if he'd been watching me sleep, or just staring into space. He was probably just thinking about other things, and then looked at me when he noticed I was awake.

But if he wasn't really interested in what I was doing to begin with, why was he staring at me?

This confused me even more, and I tore my eyes away and looked at the TV. I was a little freaked out. His eyes...they were so familiar. I knew those eyes that were staring at me, I recognized the intensity of that gaze. I had never forgotten it, and I'd never stopped loving that stare, even when I was convinced he didn't love me back.

* * *

**A/N:** Some intense Ichi/Ruki...gazing going on. *Sigh* I'm sorry I'm a hopeless romantic guys. This story must be getting boring. *Sigh* I hope you liked this chapter more than I did though. I thought it was slow and boring. Sorry!

Review anyway. Don't hit and run.


	8. Angst and School

**AN:** Holy crap, I'm back from the dead! Le gasp! Haha, sorry this took forever. I just...got distracted by school. I haven't really worked on anything recently, I feel awful. I also feel bad because this is pretty much just a filler chapter. So is the next one. But it's already written, so I'll be posting it later! Like...soon. Tomorrow or something. Hope everyone had good holidays, whatever you celebrate, and remember to review, purty please!

* * *

_Rukia_

I went back to school, and it was completely normal. I did get a round of applause when I walked into homeroom on Monday, and I was even more surprised when Mr. Cifer joined in briefly before remembering the stick up his ass. The headaches took a few weeks to stop, and I started bringing painkillers to school in my backpack. After about three weeks, there was no more constant dull ache, but lights still hurt my eyes a little and I got fierce headaches occasionally.

I spent a lot of time at Rangiku's or Momo's or Renji's house, as usual. Byakuya got a lot more anal about my whereabouts than he ever had been, requiring that I call whenever I was making a change of location. It was nice to have the reassurance that he cared, but I wished it didn't take a broken leg and a concussion to get his attention like that.

He seemed distracted, too. More so than usual. When we talked - the little that we did - he had a strange look in his eyes, as though his mind were miles away from our awkward dinner conversation. After a while, I stopped attempting small talk, instead silently wondering why we'd started eating together anyway.

And then there was actually sitting in class at school. We're always seated by last name, so I sit next to Ichigo, and have since we were little. That worked a lot better when we were friends. For the last few years, it had just been quiet. We didn't talk, didn't hardly look at each other. We shared books when we had to, but that was as far as any interaction went.

I wished it wasn't so awkward. I wanted my best friend, my Strawberry, back. He had always been there for me, my best friend in the whole world, but now he didn't even look at me. And I couldn't stop thinking about it. Until the soccer game, and that after party, I'd been able to just forget about it, not think too much. I could banish thoughts from my mind quite easily. It was a good skill to have. But since that party, with all the weird looks, I hadn't been able to get him off my mind. I didn't think about him all the time, but when I started I couldn't seem to stop. It was beyond irritating.

I'd tried getting his attention in class, a bit. Usually he wasn't looking at me, and so he didn't notice my frequent glances. On the two times that I'd tried to start conversation, it had been killed either by his unresponsive grunts, or a teacher. Sigh.

Rangiku and Momo noticed, I know, but they didn't say anything. They were waiting for me to bring it up, I knew. They knew I'd ask eventually.

And I did. I couldn't resist.

"Ran, Momo," I started one day when we were at Ran's house. I glanced up from my math to see that neither of them had looked up. I looked back down and kept up the 'casual' thing.

"Hmm?" Rangiku said.

"I have a question," I said, still not looking up.

"Okay," Momo said, and I could feel her eyes on me.

"Uh..." I kept doing my math, trying to beat down my embarrassment. "Is...mm, do you guys think Ichigo likes me?"

Neither of them said anything. I looked up, keeping my face neutral. It was safe right then - I was waiting for an answer.

They were looking at me. Then they looked at each other.

"I don't know..." Momo said, looking back at me.

Rangiku rolled her eyes. "Maybe," she said. "Past actions would say otherwise, don't you think?"

"Yeah..." I said, going back to my math. I tried not to feel disappointed. It was a stupid question anyway.

"Why?" Rangiku asked, and I resisted the urge to look up. I knew she would be staring at me with a shrewd expression, and a small smirk.

So I shrugged. "I was just...wondering," I mumbled lamely.

"Liar," she said instantly. I felt my face start to heat up, and I glanced up at both of them. Momo was nodding her agreement.

"I'm not," I protested weakly, staring at the line of writing on my paper.

"Oh yes you are," Rangiku said. "C'mon Rukia. Do you like him?" She sounded annoyed. I didn't know if it was because I was holding back or because it was stupid of me to fall for a guy who hadn't had a nice word to say to me in years.

I sighed and looked up at them, feeling stupid and helpless. "I don't know," I muttered. "I...I don't know. He's always been like a brother to me, or he was, and then he just...went away. And I want him back, because, let's be honest, Byakuya isn't exactly a family man. But I can't tell if I just want a brother back or if..." I trailed off and Momo finished for me.

"Or if you have romantic feelings for him," she said tactfully. I nodded.

They were both quiet for a while. I eventually couldn't handle the thoughtful looks they were giving me, and continue my math homework.

Finally, Momo spoke. "I don't think you should stress yourself out about it. You haven't spoken to him in so long, it could just be you wanting your friend back. That's completely understandable. But you haven't had real interaction with him in so long, it's hard to know if your feelings are beyond sisterly love."

"I don't like him," Rangiku said slowly, as if she were unsure about the words even as they came out. "But that's only because of what he did. It was petty and immature and stupid. So my advice is, be careful. But..."

She was right. I knew she was basically telling me to not be an idiot and go for him, and I agreed. But I didn't even know if that's what it was. I could just be wanting my best friend and surrogate brother back.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, you didn't notice how he got sort of prickly and mean, like...not long after you started dating Renji and hanging out with us?"

Renji had been friends with Kira, Ran, and Momo - and everyone else I sat with at lunch. When I started dating Renji, their group adopted Ichigo and I. Well, me mostly, because that _was_ when Ichigo started...

I frowned. "Yeah, that was when he got all weird. Why?"

Rangiku looked at me with her eyebrows raised, as though I were missing something that was painfully obvious. A quick glance at Momo told me they both thought I was a complete moron.

"Ruk, are you sure you're not brain damaged from that soccer game?"

"Screw you!" They had been teasing me about that because for the last few weeks I hadn't been thinking very well. It was a combination of pain in my head, and being drowsy because of the medicines.

Rangiku laughed. "Well, usually you're better at this whole people thing. C'mon, Rukia..."

Momo took pity on me. "He started being all bitchy around the time you started dating Renji. Jealousy?"

I blinked, and suddenly it made sense. "Oh..." I looked back and forth between them. Rangiku looked begrudging - she didn't like Ichigo. Momo just looked kind of amused. "Oh my god I'm so stupid."

Momo chuckled. "Well, maybe a little."

"Be careful," Rangiku said. "It's not like we're mind readers, we don't know for sure. It just makes sense that he was jealous, so he got all up in your face. But we don't know. He could just be a complete douche."

"Why would he turn into a complete douche just out of nowhere?" I asked. I knew she was hoping for the 'complete douche' option, but I couldn't.

She just shrugged. "Just be careful with him, okay?"

"I will," I said, and smiled down at my math.


	9. Better Late Than Never

**AN:** Look at me, I'm on a roll! Okay, two updates in a row doesn't count as a roll. Fine. And I don't actually have the next chapter written or planned or anything so...well, crap. It'll be out...eventually... :) Don't forget to review, you lovely people!

* * *

_Ichigo_

"Ichi-nii-" Yuzu said as I ran through the kitchen.

"No time for breakfast!" I shouted, trying to pack my bag and buckle my belt all at once. "We're gonna be late!"

"You are..." Karin scoffed, walking through and grabbing Yuzu and pulling her toward the door. I realized, shocked, that they were both completely dressed, and leaving. "Good luck, Ichi-nii." She said, smirking.

Yuzu looked at me apologetically but followed Karin to the door. "Bye Ichi-nii! We'll see you later!" The door shut.

"...Fuck!"

"Don't sweaaa-" I dodged my father's flying kick, and didn't even bother watching him hit the wall as I ran back up to my room. I tied on my tie hastily, my frustration and rush making it take longer than usual. Swearing, I finally managed and grabbed my jacket, ran back downstairs and got my lunch off the counter, and then out into the garage. I punched the garage opener and pulled on my helmet. I straddled my bike and started it quickly. It was a bit of a waste, riding this the short distance to school, but I just had to. It was so much fun. And I was late.

I backed out of the garage and zoomed off towards school, knowing I would still be late.

I pulled into the parking lot and killed the motor, all too aware of the silence of the school grounds. As I pushed the kickstand out, the bell rang, and I swore. I sprinted around the corner, cursing my alarm clock and my father, who only came crashing in when I didn't need him to.

As I rounded the corner, I saw one other person making their way slowly up the stairs, her backpack slipping off one shoulder and...down her crutch to the stairs, where it spilled most of its contents.

"Fuck!" The curse flew out of Rukia's mouth in a bit of a shriek, and boy did she look pissed. It was almost funny, but all humor drained as I momentarily watched her try to turn. She struggled with her crutches and cast for a minute, swearing under her breath, and tried not to fall down the stairs. Eventually she sat down with a huff, lowering the crutches next to her.

Realizing that standing there watching her wouldn't help, I jumped around the rail and knelt to pick up some of the books that had fallen out of her half-open backpack and down the stairs.

"Guess I'm not the only one running late today," I said, glancing at her and smiling. She looked up, startled, and then frowned a little.

"Uh, yeah." She looked torn - as though she wanted to glare at me, but didn't want to be rude because I was helping her.

Hell, I couldn't blame her. We hadn't had a real conversation in more than a year. My own feelings about her were so muddled, I couldn't even look at her without getting confused. All I knew was whenever I did look at her, my heart started to thump, and I felt a mixture of love, anger, and sadness. And then I wondered if she felt that too, and...Ugh. Hormones blow no matter how I look at it.

I stood, holding her Chappy backpack in one hand, and realizing that she was still sitting on the step, looking down.

Damn, that was a really short skirt.

And, fuck, she had nice legs. Wow.

I blushed, realizing I was simply standing there like an idiot staring at the hotness that was Rukia Kuchiki-wait, what?

I shook my head a little and blinked, trying to clear my mind.

"Um, here." I pulled her backpack onto one shoulder and held a hand out to her. She looked up, surprised again, and then took it. I pulled her to her feet, almost into my chest. As I did, something fell out of her shirt, and I blinked, looking down.

A gold chain, and three little charms hanging slightly out of her shirt. I'd never noticed them before, though I knew exactly what they were, even without looking very closely. I'd given them to her, after all. She still had it.

She still wore it...

"Well... yeah..." She sounded...embarrassed. I looked up at her face, and saw she was blushing a little. I blushed as well when I realized that I had, indeed, said that out loud. _Oh, god..._

"I..." Have no idea what to say.

_Well, this is awkward._

"Um..." She looked down again, her face getting even more red. She pulled her hand out of mine, tucked the necklace into her shirt, and picked up her crutches. "Thanks," she muttered quickly, still not looking up.

"N...no problem. I'll carry this for you," I said, gesturing to her bag.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"It's fine." I cut her off and walked up the steps. "C'mon. I don't want to be even later, Cifer's already gonna blow a gasket." I pulled the door open and held it for her. After a second's hesitation, she hopped up the steps and through the door.

"Thanks..." she mumbled as she passed me. I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and not knowing what to say anyway.

I followed her into the silent building, resisting the urge to stare at her legs...and butt. God, why did she have to be so good looking?

Come to think of it, when did she even _get_ that hot? Had she always had those curves? Had I been too busy trying to ignore my feelings and be mad at her to notice them? How was it even _possible_ to not notice them? I swallowed hard and pulled my eyes up, walking quickly so I was right next to her, and stared straight ahead.

This was so not okay.

I sighed quietly, suddenly very tired and confused. And I still had the rest of the day to get through.

"What?"

I looked at Rukia, who was looking at me curiously. I saw some apprehension in her eyes.

"What what?"

"What's with the sigh?"

"Oh. Nothing," I said. It would probably be best to lie in this situation. "I'm just annoyed I got here late is all. Although, I suppose it's a good thing, since you were needing some help..." I looked down at her, and saw surprise on her face. "What?"

"Um...nothing."

More awkward silence ensued, and I was glad when we made it to the classroom, until we opened the door. We were met with the full force of Mr. Cifer's cold stare as he stopped talking and turned to look at us late-comers. I swallowed.

"You're late." His voice was as emotionless as always.

I opened my mouth, but Rukia spoke before I could.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cifer." She bowed awkwardly on her crutches. "I was having some trouble with my bag and my books, and Kurosaki-san helped me. It's my fault we're both late."

I looked at her blankly, shocked that she would take the blame for me. Why would she?

There was silence as Cifer met Rukia's eyes, and I could have sworn they were having some kind of battle of the mind for the next thirty seconds. No one spoke. No one moved. Rukia continued to stare at him with a respectful but challenging expression, never backing down.

I was not surprised.

"...Very well." Cifer finally spoke, and it felt like the whole class released a breath. "Take your seats."

Rukia nodded at him and then started towards our seat. I followed, not looking at Mr. Cifer. As I passed Uryu's seat, our eyes met, and he smirked. "Nice bag," he whispered.

I blinked, and then had to resist the urge to groan, realizing I'd walked into class with Rukia's bag still on my shoulder. Her Chappy Bunny bag.

_Really?_

I heard a few people giggle as I passed, and felt my cheeks heating up. Wonderful.

With another small sigh I set Rukia's bag down on her desk and sat down next to her.

"Thanks, Kurosaki," she said. I looked over and she nodded once, then started to pull out a book.

As though nothing had happened.

What? How could she just sit there and act like nothing had happened? Could she really be completely unaware of the fact that this was the most one-on-one exposure we'd had to each other in years? How could she not know that even right now, my heart was pounding - _because of her_?

I wanted to hit my head on something hard, repeatedly.

I became aware that Mr. Cifer had started reading the announcements again after our interruption, but I barely cared enough to listen.

And then we got another disturbance, one that didn't directly involve my own intense embarrassment.

The door opened again, and Cifer stopped reading again, stood up, and turned to glare at the new-comer. His face went blank though when he looked at the man standing in the doorway.

"Hey." He was tall and broad shouldered, with light blue eyes and hair to match. He was so strange looking, but I recognized him a little. His eyes flicked around the class for a second, and then settled on Cifer, and he smirked a little at his expression. He stepped into the classroom, holding up a paper bag and a cell phone.

"You forgot these. I don't know why you'd need this here-" he held up the phone, "-but even you need to eat. So I brought them." He held up the bag and walked over to the desk where Cifer still stood, looking...a little confused. The smirk widened, and Cifer blinked, looking down.

"Thank you, Grimmjow," he said, taking the forgotten objects. Hearing his name, I remembered now that he had gone to Karakura. He graduated a few years ago, the same year Cifer had interned here. There had been a lot of speculation about the way the two of them acted around each other, and then Grimmjow had gone to university. But apparently he was visiting...and staying with Cifer?

Oh. So the speculation had been...correct.

I looked around the classroom, and was glad I was not the only one who had come to that conclusion.

I looked back at the suddenly very funny mini-drama at the front of the class.

"How did you find my classroom?" Cifer was very pointedly _not_ looking at Grimmjow, who was still smirking as he watched the smaller man put his returned items away.

"The directory on the school website," he answered casually.

"Oh." Cifer shut the drawer slowly, keeping his voice low.

"Mhm..." When the teacher still refused to look at him, Grimmjow rolled his eyes slightly. "Well, I'll see you at three." He leaned forward and kissed Mr. Cifer on the temple gently. The teacher eyes snapped up, looking directly at us with a startled expression, and his cheeks started to turn pink. Grimmjow smiled at him, turned away, and walked out, the door clicking softly in the silent room behind him.

After a very long silence, Cifer sat down and continued reading the announcements as though nothing had happened. The pink stain across his cheeks and the tiny smile on his face told a different story.


End file.
